Serum albumin and self-reported prevalence of stroke: a population-based, cross-sectional study

Background Since information about the association between serum albumin and risk of stroke is limited the purpose of the present paper was to re-investigate this relationship. Design The study followed a cross-sectional design. Methods In the cross-sectional Norwegian Oslo Health Study the concentration of serum albumin and blood pressure was determined in a random sample of 5071 men and women, 30-75 years of age. Logistic regression was used to study the association between the serum albumin concentration and self-reported prevalence of stroke. In the sample there were 122 subjects with a history of stroke and 4949 subjects without. Results Low albumin (i.e. <= 47 versus > 47 g/l) was associated with increased prevalence of self-reported stroke (odds ratio 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.78; P = 0.005), after adjusting for age (<= 45 versus >= 59 years) and sex. Including smoking, blood pressure and length of education into the model did not have any major influence on the result. Conclusion Low serum albumin is associated with increased prevalence of self-reported stroke.